Adjustable child&#39;s chair



Sept. 24, 1968 I F. J. ELLIS ET AL 3,402,962

I ADJUSTABLE CHILDS CHAIR Filed Nov. 21, 1966 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORS6. 50 d [LA/J 650265 N 5/645 @mzm Sept. 24, 1968 F. J. ELLIS ET ALADJUSTABLE CHILD'S CHAIR I: Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed vNov. 21, 1966INVENTORS FEED (f [IL/J I E65 m/(AFF f w? 3 Sheets-Sheet I) ATTOE/VZV Ff S F 4 1 a V V uh 7; J m H U O 7 V M I 3 3 2 4 6 VJ; H A a 1 5 WU 2 1 7w. fiw wu vwwwwwfiw 3 W5 4 ,3 M: .D @FimU I- MW 5 V a [5 2 1 I 4 a 2 2 4x 2 5 m 2 9 O 9 3 2 F. J. ELLIS ET L ADJUSTABLE CHILD'S CHAIR Sept. 24,1968 Filed Nov. 21, 1966 United States Patent 3,402,962 ADJUSTABLECHILDS CHAIR Fred J. Ellis, 2650 Elmwood Drive SE. 49506, and GeorgeSkalf, 301 Grandville Ave. SW. 49503, both of Grand Rapids, Mich. 1

Filed Nov. 21, 1966, Ser. No. 595,879 10 Claims. (Cl. 297-130) ABSTRACTOF THE DISCLOSURE A child-supporting structure including a seatreleasably mounted on a frame and having side members which serve asarms and a back for a high chair when the seat is mounted on the framein an upright position. The seat can be inverted on the frame to form ahigh stool. The frame includes a depending pivotable unit on which theseat can be releasably mounted to provide a swing. The seat can beremoved from the frame and the back member pivoted to the opposite sideof the seat, thereby providing a low, self-supported stool with the sidemembers serving as legs.

This invention relates to multiple position and use furniture of theseat type having a lightweight frame of tubular cross section and a seatwhich may be mounted in various positions on the frame to alternativelyprovide a high chair, a high, backless and armless stool or a swing. Theseat may also be removed from the frame to provide a short stool.

The main objectives of this invention are:

First, to provide multiple position and use furniture of the seat typewhich is easily adjusted to several different use positions, forinstance, as a high chair, a swing or a stool and parts of which may beused as a chair or seat with legs, or as a chair or seat with arms.

Second, to provide a structure having these advantages in which theframe and supported parts are mainly formed of tubular material ofcircular cross section.

Third, to provide a structure adaptable to these several uses which isquickly adjusted from one use position to another use position withoutrequiring the use of tools.

Fourth, to provide a structure having these several uses which isrelatively light in weight in proportion to its strength.

Further objectives and advantages will appear from the followingdescription and the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a front view of an embodiment of my invention illustrated asadjusted to high chair position, the seat swing being included and itsengagement and disengagement being indicated by dotted lines.

FIGURE 2 is a front perspective view of the structure of FIGURE 1adjusted to high chair position.

FIGURE 3 is a front perspective of the embodiment of my inventionillustrated as adjusted to swing position.

FIGURE 4 is a front perspective of the embodiment of my inventionillustrated in FIGURES 1-3 inclusive, adjusted to stool position.

FIGURE 5 is a side elevation view of the seat removed from thesupporting frame, the adjustable back being shown in one position byfull lines and in another position by dotted lines.

FIGURE 6 is a front perspective view of the seat unit with the armportions thereof, shown in FIGURES 1, 2, 3 and 5, positioned to serve aslegs for the seat.

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary plan view illustrating structural details ofthe means for supporting the seat unit in its high chair position.

FIGURE 8 is a broken enlargement of FIGURE 7 and corresponds in sectionto line 88 of FIGURE 13 for illustrating structural details.

FIGURE 9 is a fragmentary perspective view illustrating details of theseat support of swing unit.

FIGURE 10 is a horizontal section on a line corresponding to line 10-10of FIGURE 9 showing further details of the swing unit.

FIGURE 11 is a fragmentary sectional view on a line generallycorresponding to line 11--11 of FIGURE 3 and with the swing supportingmeans pivoted forwardly some- What.

FIGURE 12 is a fragmentary perspective view illustrating further detailsof the coupling means.

FIGURE 13 is a sectional view on a line 1313 of FIGURE 7.

FIGURE 14 is a sectional view on a line 14-14 of FIGURE 7.

As has been pointed out, the embodiment of my invention may be readilyadapted or adjusted for several uses and this adjustment may be quicklydone without the use of tools. The frame and some of the other parts aredesirably formed of tubular stock as is conventionally illustrated.Various parts are secured together by welding, which is not illustratedin detail. It will be understood that some of these parts could beconnected by rivets, but the welding is desirable both from a productioneconomy and appearance standpoint.

The frame, as illustrated in FIGURES 1, 2, 3 and 4 comprises thelaterally spaced rear legs or frame members 1 having forwardlyprojecting horizontal arms 2 at their upper ends. The upper ends of thelegs are connected by the cross piece 3 which has downward projectingarms 4 having flattened portions at their lower ends disposed againstthe rear sides of the legs and secured thereto preferably by screws andwing nuts generally as illustrated by FIGURES 3 and 4 at the referencenumeral 5. This cross piece 3 also serves as a handle. The rear legs 1are connected at theeir lower ends by cross piece 6 which has upwardlyprojecting end portions 7 secured to the legs preferably by means ofscrews and wing nuts conventionally illustrated at 8.

The front legs 9 are rearwardly curved, their lower ends 10 providingfeet which are in alignment with lower ends of rear legs 1. The upperends of these legs 9 constitute braces or struts which are disposedunder and secured to the forwardly projecting arms 2 on the rear legs.The rearwardly displaced intermediate portions of the front legs 9 arewelded to the rear legs 1 as indicated at 11 (see FIG- URE 2). Thisprovides a strong and rigid frame and one which is of relatively lightweight in proportion to its strength and rigidity.

The seat 12 has two oppositely facing, alternatively usable seatingfaces which are desirably cushioned and includes the side plates 13which are fixedly secured to the sides thereof. The back 15 is providedwith supporting and coupling members 16 of strip-like material which arefixedly secured to the side edges of the back by means of the screws 17.The coupling members 16 have downwardly projecting and outwardly offsetprojections 18 which are provided with notches 19 in their lower endsalternatively engageable with several studs 19a (see FIGURE 5). Theprojections 18 are slotted longitudinally as indicated at 18a forlongitudinally sliding and for pivoting connection to correspondingpivot pins 18b projecting fixedly from the side plates 13. The studs1911 are evenly spaced from the corresponding pivot pin 18b. The slots18a are long enough to allow the notched end 19 to firmly engage theopposed stud 19a when the back 15 is pushed toward the pivot pin 18b andalternatively, to allow the notched end to completely disengage thestuds 19a and be freely pivotable within the circle of such studs, foradjusting the angular position of the back 15, when the back 15 ispulled away from the pivot pins 18b. In the preferred embodiment shown,three studs 19a are provided in each plate 13. The first stud ispositioned to hold the back in its nearly upright position between armsindicated in solid lines in FIGURES 2 and 5. The second stud ispositioned to hold the back in its semireclining position indicated inFIGURE 3 and in broken lines in FIGURE 5. The third stud is located tohold the back 15 in a nearly upright position also, but adjacent theface of the seat opposite the arms 20 as shown in FIGURE 6 rather thanbetween. the arms as in FIGURES 2 and 5. The back 15 need not engage anyof the studs 19a but may be left to depend from the seat 12 when thelatter is supported on the frame with the arms 20 also depending to formthe backless, armless stool of FIGURE 4 or, alternatively, when the seatis oriented with the arms 20 up, as in FIG- URE 2, to form a backlessstool with arms, which arrangement is not shown here. The swing of theback 15 is limited only by the engagement of the offset portions 18 withthe studs 19a in the zone thereof on the opposite end of the slot 18afrom the notch 19 and, in the particular embodiment shown, such swing isapproximately 180.

The looped members 20 which serve as arms when positioned as in FIGURES1, i2, 3 and 5 and as legs in FIGURE 6 are also formed of tubular stockand in the embodiment illustrated have substantially parallel endportions 20a and these end portions are connected to the sides of theseat by the plates 14 which are fixedly secured to the side .plates 13by the fasteners 21. When used as a high chair as in FIGURE 2, theupwardly extending arms may be used to support a conventional high chairtray, not shown.

These seat side members 13 and 14 have a pair of outwardly projectingseat supporting lugs 22 (see FIGURE 6) extending therethrough and fixedthereby to the adjacent sides of the seat 12. The lugs 22 aresupportably and releasably engageable in the upwardly opening slots 23in the inwardly projecting plate-like brackets 24 which are fixedlyconnected to the forwardly projecting arms 2 of the rear leg members 1.The brackets 24 are hollow and are of essentially rectangular crosssection as seen in FIGURE 13. Each slot 23 has a portion 23a whichextends into the top wall 24a of the bracket 24 a distance somewhatexceeding the exposed length of the corresponding lugs 22. Each slot 23further comprises a vertical portion 23b in the inner wall 24b of thebracket 24 which extends from the portion 23a to an intermediate pointon said wall 24b, the slot 23 being completed by a rearwardly extendingportion 230. Thus, to install the seat 12 on the frame, the lugs 22 passdownwardly through the slot portions 23a and 2312 as the seat is loweredand then move rearwardly along the slot portions 230 to an installedposition at the rear thereof, as shown in FIGURE 14, as the seat ismoved to its rearward limit on said frame.

A latch 41 (FIGURE 12) is manually actuable for holding the seat 12 atits rearward position on the frame and here comprises a book 42pivotally supported on the cross piece 3 and releasably engageable witha loop 43 fixed to the opposed rear wall 44 of the seat 12. The seatunit is in what is commonly called high chair position in FIGURES 1 and2.

The illustrated embodiment of my invention further includes a swing unitincluding the side or hanger members 26 which are fixedly connected attheir lower ends by the cross piece 27. In the embodiment illustrated,the cross piece 27 is of flat cross section and its ends are disposed onthe ends of the swing rods 26. The seat holders 28 are fixedly securedto the upper side of the cross piece 27 and to the inner sides of thearms 26. These parts are in practice welded together and constitute aunit. The welds are not illustrated.

The seat supporting members 28 (see FIGURE 9) are provided withelongated, upstanding and rib-like lugs 29 on their inner edges withwhich vertical downwardly opening notches 30 (FIGURE 5) of the plates 13on the seat 12 may be snugly but slideably engaged upon downwardmovement of the seat 12 between the hanger members 26. The plates 14 areprovided with wider notches 46 centered on the notches 30 for similarlyreceiving the seat holders 28 snugly but slideably therein or droppingthe seat 12 between the hangers 26. The upper end of the lug 29 ispreferably rounded and the lower corners of the notch 30 are preferablyoutwardly flared to pilot the lugs 29 and holders 28 into theircorresponding notches as the seat 12 moves downwardly to rest on thecross piece 27 for use as a swing as shown in FIGURE 3. The arms 20, itwill be noted, must ,face upwardly with the seat 12 installed in the.swing unit and so prevent a'small child being swung from rollingsideways off the seat while the latter is in motion, These lugs 29 andholders 28 and notches 30 and 46 are of substantial length so that whenthe seat 12 is positioned as a swing, tilting of the seat 12 on thehanger unit is prevented.

The hanger members 26 are provided at their upper ends with fixed,outwardly extended pivot pins 51 (FIG- URE 11). Short, preferablytubular, elements 52 are rigidly fixed, as by welding, to the front legs9 adjacent the upper ends thereof and extend inwardly therefrom towardthe hanger members 26. Coaxial openings 53 and 54 in the end walls ofthe elements 52 and sides of the legs 9 slideably receive and pivotallysupport the opposed pins 51 for pivotally carrying the swing unit. Thehanger members 26 can be urged resiliently inwardly toward each other,if desired, to release the pins 51 thereof from the legs 9 to allowremoval of the swing unit from the frame, the inward position of one ofthe hanger mecbers being indicated on broken lines at 26a in FIGURE 1.

The seat unit 12 may be removed from the frame and used as a low stoolhaving a back and arms as is illustrated in FIGURE 5. Also if desired,the arms 20 may be faced downwardly to constitute legs for raising theseat above the ground, as is illustrated in FIGURE 6, simply by turningthe seat 12 over and pivotally adjusting the back 15 to extend away fromthe members 20. This may be done without the use of tools of any kind.

As stated, the seat may be positioned on the supporting frame toconstitute a high chair or youth chair as shown in FIGURES 1 and 2, itmay be used as a swing illustrated in FIGURE 3, and it may be positionedas a tall stool without back as illustrated in FIGURE 4, or with back,or merely as a portable seat unit with the members 20 serving as arms asillustrated in FIGURE 5, or as legs as illustrated in FIGURE 6. Thisprovides a wide range of adjustment and this adjustment can be quicklymade. It should be understood that no tools are required in making theabove described adjustments. In the particular embodiment shown, theseat 12 is dimensioned to fit a child when positioned with the arms 20up. However, when positioned with the arms 20 down, the seat 12 is largeenough to serve as a stool top for an adult.

By detaching the cross pieces 3 and 6 from the unitary sides of theframe, each comprising a front leg 9 and a rear leg 1, subsequent toremoving the swing unit and seat 12, the chair construction can bepacked into a relatively thin, compact volume as for storage or fortravel or shipping.

The use of tubular metal as described is desirable as it results in astructure which is of relatively light weight in proportion to itsstrength. I have not illustrated all the various welds, that not beingconsidered as necessary, but it should be understood that the welding ofthe parts together is important from the point'of production andstrength and appearance.

I have illustrated and described my invention in a highly practicalembodiment thereof. I have not attempted to illustrate other adaptationsand embodiments as it is believed that it will enable others skilled inthe art to adapt my invention as may be desired.

What is claimed is:

1. A seat structure comprising:

a supporting frame including upright rear frame members provided withforwardly projecting arms at their upper ends and crosspiecesinterconnecting said rear frame members;

said frame further including rearwardly curved front leg and strutmembers with the upper ends of said front members being supportinglysecured to the forwardly projecting arms of said rear frame members,said front members having intermediate portions laterally displaced fromthe upper and lower ends of said front members with said intermediateportions being fixedly secured to said rear frame members; and

seat means including a seat member having mounting means thereonsupportedly and detachably engageable with said forwardly projectingarms.

2. A seat structure according to claim 1, further including a swing unitcomprising rod-like hangers interconnected to the forwardly projectingarms of said rear frame members and having a seat supporting cross-piecefixedly connected to the lower ends of said hangers, and support meansfor permitting said seat means to be removably mounted on said seatsupporting crosspiece.

3. A seat structure according to claim 2, in which said seat memberincludes a pair of opposed load-supporting surfaces and said mountingmeans permits said seat means to be reversibly engageable with saidforwardly projecting arms whereby either of said load-supportingsurfaces may be positioned in an upwardly facing direction, said seatmeans further including side members secured thereto and extendingoutwardly with respect to one of said load-supporting surfaces in asubstantially vertical direction, said side members being adapted toconstitute arms when said seat means is supported in said frame andadapted to constitute legs when said seat means is removed from saidframe and inverted to be used as a self-supporting stool.

4. A seat structure according to claim 1, wherein said rear framecrosspieces comprise a top crosspiece acting as a handle member andhaving forwardly and downwardly projecting portions secured to said rearframe members, and a bottom crosspiece connected to the lower ends ofsaid rear frame members;

said intermediate portions of said rearwardly curved front leg and strutmembers being fixedly secured to said rear frame members in spacedrelationship to the upper and lower ends thereof;

seat-supporting and coupling brackets supportedly secured to the innersides of said forwardly projecting arms of said rear frame members, saidmounting means connected to said seat member including projectinglug-like portions detachably engageable with said brackets.

5. A seat structure according to claim 4, including a swing unitincluding rod-like hangers pivotably connected to the forwardlyprojecting strut portions of said front leg and strut members and havinga seat-supporting crosspiece fixedly connected to the lower ends of saidhangers, said seat means being selectively and detachably mountable onsaid seat-supporting brackets or said swing unit.

6. A seat structure comprising:

a supporting frame including upright rear frame members provided withforwardly projecting arms at their upper ends, said rear frame membershaving a bottom crosspiece connected to the lower ends thereof and a topcrosspiece and handle member having forwardly and downwardly projectingarms secured to said rear frame members;

said supporting frame also including rearwardly curved front leg andstrut members having intermediate portions thereon fixedly secured tosaid rear frame members in spaced relationship to the upper and lowerends thereof, the upper ends of said front members being supportedlysecured to the forwardly projecting arms of said rear frame members;

seat-supporting and coupling brackets supportedly secured to the innersides of said forwardly projecting arms of said rear frame members;

a seat comprising a body member having projecting lug-like portionsdetachably engageable with said brackets in an upright position and inan inverted position, said seat in said inverted position functioning asa stool;

said seat also including side members connected thereto and extendingupwardly from said body portion, said side members comprising armmembers when said seat is in said upright position, said seat beingusable as a self-supported stool when removed from said frame andinverted, said side members being such as to permit same to constitutethe legs for the seat when functioning as a self-supported stool.

7. A seat structure comprising:

a frame including upright rear members having forwardly projecting armsat their upper ends, and a crossmember fixedly secured to said rearframe members;

said frame also including arcuate, rearwardly curved front frame membersfixedly secured at a first point thereon to the arms of said rear framemembers, said front frame members being fixedly secured directly to saidrear frame members at a second point spaced from said first point, saidsecond point being positioned intermediate the upper and lower ends ofsaid front frame members, the portions of said front frame members belowsaid second point constituting legs and the portions of said front framemembers above said second point constituting struts;

bracket means secured to the forwardly projecting arms of said rearframe members and having laterally spaced, upwardly and inwardly openingsockets therein; and

seat means having lugs thereon detachably engageable with said bracketmeans.

8. A seat structure according to claim 7, wherein said second point isspaced rearwardly of the upper and lower ends of said front framemembers and of said first point, and said seat means including loopedmembers having projecting end portions engageable with the sides of saidseat means to constitute arms when said seat means is supported in saidframe and to constitute legs when said seat means is inverted as aself-supported stool.

9. A variable seat structure according to claim 8, wherein said seatmeans includes a seat member and a back member and means interconnectingsaid back member to said seat member for permitting said back member tobe tiltably positioned at variable angles relative to said seat member.

10. A seat structure according to claim 6, including a swing unitcomprising rod-like hangers pivotally connected to the forwardlyprojecting strut portions of said front leg and strut members and havinga seat supporting crosspiece fixedly connected to their lower ends, saidseat being selectively engageable with said seat supporting brackets orwith said hangers.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS D. 147,581 9/1947 Coulter 2973 X1,188,235 6/1916 Ball 297-281 2,486,716 11/1949 Kuebler 297-3572,533,019 12/1950 Ketcham 297 2,697,477 12/ 1954 Welsh 297130 X2,961,248 11/1960 Meyers 297-130 X 2,982,562 5/1961 Gladstein 297--130 X2,991,122 7/1961 Boo 2973 3,121,587 2/1964 Bavaro 2971 3,224,806 12/1965 Butters et al. 297136 JAMES T. MCCALL, Primary Examiner.

